At a banquette in a restaurant, who gets the plush, padded seat—and the view of the room?

Traditionally, a man cedes the inside seat, whether banquette or chair, to his female companion. “The woman faces out, and the man faces in—he should want to look at the most beautiful thing in the room,” says Spillane. If you’re dining with someone of the same sex, the guest gets first dibs on the best seat (and view), says Peggy Post, author of Emily Post’s Etiquette, 17th edition (www.amazon.com, $40). With friends, anything goes.